Unprecedented Kinship
by SilverFurryDragon
Summary: Clematis is a young Mizutsune who has survived with the aid of his best friend, Pulse the Zinogre, since they were children. Upon the death of Pulse by the hands of hunters, Clematis is left with two choices: stay and be the next to be hunted, or flee and find a new home. Rated M for violence, future suggestive themes, and future potential sexual content.


_**Time: Nearing nighttime**  
 **Location: Flooded Forest**  
_

* * *

 _"I'm coming, Pulse!"_ shouted Clematis, who dashed up the rock outcropping. He could feel painful knives sinking into his tail and paintballs splattering and matting his fur as he charged. The rain fell more intense as he made it to the cliff top. Pulse was waiting, with a sword and shield at his rear and a longsword in front of him.

"Don't worry, Clematis," Pulse exclaimed. "You watch yourself. Quick, there's a bowgun behind you!" He said roaring at the two hunters near him and stomping down on one, sending them flying. He turned around and growled, sliding forward and swiping the hunter behind him, throwing them right into Clematis's chest. He kicked her away and turned, spitting a huge bubble at the bowgunner's face, leaving him flailing and crashing onto the grass.

The two pushed the three hunters to the cliff's edge slowly, bringing the fight nearer and nearer to the steep drop off into the forest lake below. Thunder and lightning cracked, enticing Pulse to howl in fighting spirit. His back illuminated and sparked with electricity aflame, dancing across the fur and spikes covering his body.

Clematis backed up and spat a layer of bubbly fluid across the ground that grew from grass to dirt and rock, leaving a line between them and the hunters. He ducked and jumped forward, using the momentum of the foam and fluid to swipe at the bowgunner, knocking them back and hanging from the cliff. He backed up and let the other two pull their comrade back up, tending to the wound and leaving themselves exposed.

"Let's finish them, now!" Clematis cried, who was stopped by Pulse's forearm.

"We don't need to, if they know not to mess with us," said Pulse, who kept his gaze fixated on the three hunters. "We don't need to kill if we don't need to." He turned and looked at Clematis, who bore a nervous and scared expression.

"But what happens if they come back? We don't know what they'll do," Clematis responded, meeting his best friend's gaze. "This needs to end now, before things get worse!"  
"It's all right," Pulse said. "We have them trapped. And besides, so what if-" he stopped, growling at the hunters. He watched the hunter with the sword and shield drink a green concoction out of a bottle, while the longsword sharpened his blade, all nonchalantly. "Where is the bowgunner?" He quickly asked, looking back at Clematis, who returned an unknowing gesture.

"They must have fled," Clematis suggested, taking a moment to look up at the growing downpour. He flinched at the sight of lightning that was very close by, but calmed down as Pulse walked closer.

"Clematis," Pulse said with a low voice. "When I say so, we push them off of the cliff." He lowered his head and allowed the hunters to get a great view of his intimidating back and face, advancing with Clematis.

"Do it now!" roared Pulse, swiping forward with fierce claws in tandem with Clematis. Both the hunters yelled out as they plunged to the flooded forest below. Clematis sighed in exhaustion and felt the adrenaline diminish. He turned his head and raised his tail and legs alternatingly to look at the damage.

"I've been hunted before, but these must be newbies," said Pulse, who shook off a few gun shellings lodged in his arms and fur. "Do they know no Mizu? Or Zinogre?" he quipped, looking over at Clematis in worry. "Oh no, Clematis, you look hurt," he said, holding up the Mizutsune while he limped in pain.

"I… I-I can handle it," Clematis argued, forcing himself to stand up. He looked over the edge of the cliff and saw no hunters below, assuming they had fled with the bowgunner. "But… I just can't fight lately," he lamented, breathing hard.

"It's not a big deal," said Pulse, gently leading his friend away from the cliff edge. "Just remember, I'm always here for you," he added, caressing Clematis's tail fur and helping clean it off of paint and blood from the throwing knives.

"Okay… thank you, Pulse," said Clematis, who cooed lightly and leaned against the Zinogre. He had the bestest best friend he could ever think of having. He'd never forget the first day he met Pulse at the Tanzia training grounds as a child. He gazed at his mighty horns and fur, feeling blessed to be around him.

"It's no problem, bro," said Pulse, who smiled. He reached up and patted Clematis's head, playfully grazing his fins with his claws.

"Hey…!" said Clematis, who spat a bubble in Pulse's snout with a laugh. He was interrupted by a huge lightning streak in the sky, screaming with thunder and causing him to flinch and whimper.

"It's all right," Pulse said, holding Clematis closer. "Come on, let's go home," he continued, letting Clematis lean against him while they walked.

"Okay…" Clematis said, looking down at his feet while they walked. He felt bad for not hiding his fear of thunder and lightning, despite the qualities of his best friend. Not only did he not know what he'd do without Pulse, he figured he might as well be garments on a hunter at this point were it not for him, constantly protecting and looking over him in his youth. He raised his head and froze in place.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Pulse asked, turning and lowering his head to look at his brother.

"I… hear something," he said, turning his head to the trees by the cliff edge. He looked and scanned for hunters, catching nothing until he saw a small circular device slowly creep out onto the bubbly grass. He walked forward.

"What is this?" He questioned, lowering his head and raising it to observe the strange shape. He glanced over at the bushes and saw nothing nor heard anything, except Pulse's gasp and paws pounding on the ground as he rushed closer.

"Clematis! Look away!" He cried, having no choice but to bat him across the face. He sent Clematis falling to his side with a scream, covering his face in pain and leaving fresh streaks of blood over his snout having accidentally clawed him. He yelped and heard a light hissing noise, unable to prevent himself from looking away at the device before suddenly his vision went white, leaving him unable to see. He then heard shuffling in the bushes and voices of hunters.

"Clematis, Clematis, I'm so, so sorry," Pulse said, moving his arms around until he could feel the Mizutsune, almost not wanting to touch him. He felt his friend reach up and grab at his chest, lowering his head and talking. "I-I didn't mean to hurt you."

Clematis moved his hands away and watched fresh blood seep down onto his neck, his face burning like Rathalos flames in pain. He cried and tried to stand up with Pulse's help, shakily looking around for the hunters he heard.

"P-Pulse! Hhh… h-hhh…" Clematis stammered, yelping as he saw the three hunters from earlier advance from all directions.

"Clematis, w-we need to run," Pulse said, feeling for his friend's side and beginning to panic. "Face me towards the outcropping, and let's go."

Clematis moved Pulse around in the direction he wanted, shaking and limping down the way as they began to dash. His heart pounded in fear, both for him and his friend, while they ran, with the three hunters on their tails. After only a brief moment, Pulse tripped on the rocks in their path and fell to his side, barreling down the sharp slope and leaving him pricked and cut everywhere on his body, with blood covering his wounds. Clematis cried out and rushed to his body.

"P-P-P-Pulse! G-Get… get up!" He screamed, pushing on the Zinogre's body and helping him stand.  
"I-I… I'm okay," Pulse said, feeling his vision slowly return in small increments. "We… we need to fight them," he continued, groaning in pain and leaning to one side with a sharp yelp.

"No… no, no, no you're not," Clematis said, tears welling in his eyes. He did his best to keep Pulse standing, feeling his forearm and realizing it was broken. He huffed and turned around to the hunters.

"Clematis.. c-come o-" Pulse started, being interrupted by a slash of the longsword. He flinched and swiped at the hunter with his good arm, missing his hit. The hunter backed up and gripped his sword behind his head, dashing forward and slashing Pulse across the chest and belly, rolling forward underneath his body and away. The hunter with the sword and shield rushed forward and smacked Pulse in the face with his shield, punching him and rolling to the side. Pulse weakly swung and attempted to bat them away, all while attempting not to fall while missing.

Clematis recovered and roared at the sight, his fins flashing a fierce and enraged red. He dismissed the pain in his legs and bloodstained face and charged at the two hunters while they recovered and barreled into them, throwing them back and slicing one with his claws. He bit and snapped and spat everywhere, doing his best to lead them away from Pulse. After fighting a moment, he saw them turn and run, splitting up into the trees.

"C-COME BACK HERE!" Clematis yelled, dashing off to hopefully scare them away. He turned and followed the path of one of the hunters, watching as they led him back to Pulse, who was limping away as fast and as far as he could.

Clematis growled and pinned the sword and shield hunter down, keeping him held. He raised his head and prepared to deal a death bite, but was interrupted by the longsword hunter. He felt his chest stabbed and cut several times, eventually backing off the sword and shield. _W-We'll… n-never get them off…_ Clematis feared. He followed the direction Pulse limped off to while the hunters recovered and found him standing, frozen, staring at another cliff edge leading to a raging river below. He turned and found all three hunters advancing on them slowly.

"No… no…" Pulse said, turning back to Clematis. "C-Clematis… I'm sorry," he said, briefly glancing at the hunters.  
"Stand back," said Clematis, who glared fiercely at the hunters. He spat at the ground below their feet and knocked them down, pushing away the sword and shield hunter. After swinging his tail around to regain balance, he snapped at the longsword and forced him to back away. The hunter cried at the bowgunner and turned back to Clematis, drawing his sword. He thrust forward to stab Clematis, who backed off, and then rolled forward, following with an upward cut, slicing him in the chin. Clematis yelped and moved his head back, flailing his arms and knocking away the hunter.

The bowgunner stood and aimed his gun at Pulse, shooting two bright yellow shells into his neck. Clematis watched with a gasp as Pulse stood paralyzed in place, feeling his body twitch and convulse and leaving him immobile.

"Rrrr… RRAAAAAGGGHHH…!" Pulse howled, attempting to move but unable to feel his limbs while he shook, his expression filled with pain and agony.

Clematis immediately rushed the gunner, swiping at his chest and inflicting a wound. He pushed him back and looked over at the other two hunters, seeing the sword and shield hunter but not seeing the longsword. He glanced back at the gunner on the ground and felt a sharp pain suddenly streak his tail, hissing and seeing the longsword hunter slice at him and run away, grabbing his attention. Clematis turned to face the hunter but was met with the charging sword and shield hunter, who stabbed him in the chest deeply and leapt up, leading an uppercut up against Clematis's head. He released a breath that knocked the air out of him, his vision darkening and leaving him dizzy.

Clematis worriedly looked over at Pulse to make sure he was still standing, but it was too late. He watched through darkened colors as the longsword hunter took advantage of the Zinogre's paralysis and drew his sword, charging forward and releasing a horrendous battle cry before lunging his sword and impaling Pulse straight through the throat, the end of his longsword exiting through the back of his brother's neck. Blood coated the blade as it inflicted the death blow, leaving Pulse limp with a light whimper and eyes hang low and open, his body being suspended by the blade. "P-P… PUUUULSE!" Clematis screamed as loud as he could, limping forward and collapsing in exhaustion, his forearm extended and weakly grabbing at his brother's paw. He felt time freeze for a moment, the coldness of the pouring rain and warm blood covering his face and body mixing into a disgusting smell, the warmth in Pulse's body leaving, the electricity dancing on his scales and fur fading away. All Clematis could do was cry while the three hunters recovered and talked, watching the leviathan mourn over the wyvern. Clematis felt two gunner pellets pierce his side, causing his vision to go hazy and blurry.

"P-Pulse… n-no… c-come… come….. o… o-on…" he squeaked, his fins falling flat on his head and tail draping over the cliff edge. All he could feel was his hand losing contact with Pulse's as he was pushed away from him by the hunters, seeing nothing but black as he could barely make out the falling sensation of his body hitting water and rough stone below, then he could feel nothing.

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 **Thank you for reading the prologue to this story. Feedback is appreciated! :)**


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